Latest Cardinals trade rumors should have the Astros on high alert

Framber Valdez is scheduled to hit free agency in the coming weeks, and the Houston Astros will be hard-pressed to find a suitable replacement atop their starting rotation. Injuries hit the Astros hard in 2025, and finding a reliable starter to the take the ball every fifth day could be easier said than done.

Thankfully, the St. Louis Cardinals may provide the Astros with a suitable replacement. Right-handed starter, and former Cy Young finalist, Sonny Gray is reportedly amenable to waiving his no-trade clause, and Houston's GM Dana Brown should be giving St. Louis' front office a phone call.

While a number of Astros fans will be quick to point out Gray's gargantuan $35 million salary, there are ways around it. The Houston faithful saw the Astros negotiate a means to offset Carlos Correa's massive contract this past summer, and they could do the same with Gray.

Latest Cardinals trade rumors could sway Astros to take a flier on Sonny Gray

Though Gray hasn't enjoyed the same level dominance with the Cardinals that he did with the Minnesota Twins in 2022, the former All-Star has crossed 180 innings pitched in two of the past three seasons. Since 2022, Gray is 35-25 with a respectable 3.63 ERA. More importantly for the Astros, he's averaged just under 30 starts per season the last three years.

The Astros rotation was leveled by injuries in 2025, ad 2026 is already shaping up to be more of the same. Though Houston is expecting J.P. France, Cristian Javier, and Lance McCullers Jr. to be full strength by the time spring training rolls around, the same cannot be said for Hayden Wesneski, Ronel Blanco, and Luis Garcia.

If the Astros were able to work out some sort of trade for Gray — one that allowed St. Louis to foot the bill for at least half of his 2026 salary — the Cardinals may be willing to move on from the soon-to-be 36-year-old righty.

Gray also represents a low-cost trade in terms of prospect captial — something the Astros have very little of. Houston's farm system is among the worst in the league, so a couple low-end prospects could be enough to entice the Cardinals to make a trade if it means getting at least half Gray's salary off their ledger for 2026.

There are bound to be more attractive trade candidates, but Gray might be a better overall fit for the reasons laid out above. The Astros went down this road with fellow Cardinals' veteran Nolan Arenado last winter and were shut down. Arenado did not waive his no-trade clause, and wonders if the same might be true of Gray this winter. There's only one way to find out.